Newsletter No. 3, March 2024

ECCB2024 is one of the main conferences in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology in Europe this year. You’re warmly welcome to the oldest city in Finland, Turku, on 16-20 September 2024! The theme for ECCB2024 is Data and algorithms for health and science.

Registration is now open, and the early bird registration fee applies until 1st of July, 2024. Take advantage of the early bird offer and register!

ECCB2024 invites full manuscripts for proceedings publications and talks, and abstracts for scientific talks and posters in the field of computational biology and bioinformatics.

Note that submission deadline for proceedings is fast approaching! Send your submission and don’t miss the opportunity to be an active part of the conference.

ECCB2024 has the great pleasure of welcoming Prof. Peer Bork, Director of EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory) Heidelberg, as one of the keynote speakers. Prof. Bork has shared some insight into his upcoming keynote – have a cup of coffee and enjoy the read!

Can you provide a brief overview of your keynote at ECCB2024?

“I will introduce some of our computational microbiome analysis work towards human and planetary health. I will stress the need of iterative cycles between experimental and computational work, in particular, if one wants to go from associations to causation or mechanisms. Furthermore, I would like to emphasize tool and resource development that facilitate biological discoveries as well as the need for systemic approaches. The human gut will serve as a model system for an envisioned planetary approach, the latter exemplified by the multinational and multidisciplinary TREC (TRaversing European Coastlines) expedition and project.”

What inspired you to choose this topic for your keynote?

“The need to come from fragmented to integrated concepts and approaches. This is particularly relevant for microbiome research as microbes can cross habitats, and life in general is linked to many biotic and abiotic factors. Many of them can by now be captured at molecular detail. Microbes are by now known to be instrumental for human and planetary health, yet very little is known about them.”

How will your keynote contribute to the broader discussions in the field?

“I intend to talk about the link of human health and planetary health, and that we really have to approach it at a global scale, uniting multiple disciplines. Health is complex, the gut microbiome is becoming known as a major contribute, but there is constant interaction with the environment, including incoming and outgoing antimicrobial resistance. Lots of novel tools and infrastructure concepts need to be developed to include environmental factors. I hope to be able to illustrate this and make a point.”

What kind of memories do you have from previous editions of ECCB conference?

“I was invited to speak at the first ECCB in Saarbrücken 2002 about comparative analysis of protein interaction networks. Coming from Europe’s only intergovernmental organization in life sciences, I obviously appreciated very much the idea of that conference series; science in 2002 was much more fragmented than today, and I thought interaction networks, at that time very new in computational biology, was an appropriate topic. I remember being excited about the resonance and the discussions as it was so different from the then classical function prediction.”

ECCB2024 strives to bridge global breakthroughs in computational biology with those in applied technologies, infrastructures and services.

The conference theme is Data and Algorithms for Health and Science. We are expecting 600-800 global experts in bioinformatics, computing, health data, and technology.

Join as an exhibitor/sponsor to present your products or services to an international audience of scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholders!

If you have questions regarding scientific programme, please contact: eccb2024@utu.fi.
Questions regarding registration or practical details of the conference, please contact: aboaevents@certia.fi.